618 Responses to “Don’t teach your kids this stuff. Please?”

I’m a student in EDM310 at The University of South Alabama. I enjoyed reading your post it was interesting and humorous once the point was across. I could not agree more with your post. Your students/children will have a leg up on other students who teachers are afraid of their students using technology because of a few negative things. Technology will benefit students future. Thank you for the post

This poem is sarcastically amazing! I found it to be funny and so very true. I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Edm310. This class is teaching me about technology and using that technology in my learning. There are risks in both the traditional and non-traditional ways of teaching. I believe that we are now in a technology revolution in schools and that every educator needs to know how to use certain technology. Students are now more interested in this aspect rather than the old way of teaching. Students need to play a part in their education rather than sitting on the sidelines. Thank you so much for this post. I enjoyed reading it very much.

wow this blog is really saying something.I agree with you. Teaching kids about technology will help shape them for a better future than the ones that are not trying to learn it. Technology is always changing and it is important that we keep up so we wont get left behind.

My name is Ashley Snow and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently enrolled in EDM310. Your blog post was humorous, because you said how you don`t want other people to do this because you are teaching you students all these things. With society being centered around technology it is important to know some things about it. Your students are a step ahead of others because teachers are scared to teach their students about technology. In my opinion technology makes learning fun.

I totally believe in using anything and everything we can to teach. I agree with preparing our children for the emerging world of technology. I believe it is OK to make mistakes and almost everything I know, I learned from a mistake. Closely monitoring through this process and knowing wrong choices will be made is part of the learning process. I think it may be a problem if you tell the child, I totally trust you to never make a mistake. Embrace the mistakes.

Hi! I am Rachel. I am a student at The University of South Alabama. I am currently in EDM 310. I really enjoyed your post. I agree 100% with you. I think technology is one of the best things we can apply to learning, for our students, to better their future. It helps in so many ways. I can’t wait to see what’s in store with technology and education.

I am Keiko Ito and a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed to read your writing. Actually, I cannot entirely agree or disagree with his opinion against technology in education because this has been controversial for a long time. I think technology tools for students have many pros and cons. My pro for it is our students will work in technology and social networking; they should learn how to use the technology tools because technology keeps developing with remarkable rapidity. In contrast, my cons against it is the tools and social media lead bullying on chats and SNS in social networking.
Thank you for sharing.

I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I feel as though your post is crazy. I believe in doing everything and anything with technology. A pencil and paper can only take you so far until someone needs more. Technology is for enlarging knowledge and interacting students into the real world. Our world is focused around technology and I believe that all teachers should incorporate it into their classrooms. I am a big fan of technology and will have my students using it daily to interact and understand the material. I feel that the more you interact your students the more they learn and enjoy learning. I feel as though children should be taught to use technology in the correct manner. They should know the difference between right and wrong and use it for learning purposes.

I want to clear the first part of my comment up. When I said your post was crazy, I meant the part with all the neglect with the internet. I loved reading it and completely agree that you should use it in your classrooms.

Hi Dr. McLeod,
I’m one of Dr. Strange’s students in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I enjoyed reading this post, and I share your concern that parents, teachers, and administrators that oppose integrating technology into the classroom are making a huge mistake. Kids who learn about internet and the technology available to us today at an early age will have an advantage not only to us but to kids who aren’t exposed to it. Technology is changing rapidly over time and it’s hard to keep up. But there are so many educational tools we can use like Smartboards, and iPads, and Elmo projectors, etc. It would be a shame to shelter our students from that because the adults are too afraid to try new things. Every aspect of learning has a positive and a negative. These technologies just need to be used in a proactive way to be successful.

Hi,
I am a student at the University of South Alabama in EDM310. I would first like to say that I loved the sarcasm!! I think you expressed the importance of technology by saying what all not to teach their kids and obviously by saying your kids would be ahead. I enjoyed it!

Hello!
I am a student at the University of South Alabama, in Mobile. I understand what you are saying about children being exposed to the internet, social networking. Kids are going to use these tools anyway why not incorporate these things into our teaching. I do think cyber bullying can be a problem. I agree with what you are trying to share.
Thanks.

Hello! My name is Lauren Cunningham and I am a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 course at the University of South Alabama. Dr. Strange assigned us this post, and I am very grateful that he did! I found this funny, and sadly, true. So many people shut down technology and the progress it has made over the years. My theory is because they are scared of it themselves. They try and protect their children and students from it because they do not know how to handle it. Knowing that your child may be more knowledgable of something than you are is a scary thing.

Instead of shutting technology, they need to take the time and invest in it for themselves. This course has been especially helpful in integrating technology in the classroom. I am so glad that it is required for all prospective teachers, because it has given me a new-found appreciation for how helpful it will be in my future classroom. I cannot wait to get in there and get my students podcasting, blogging, and doing all types of other fun activities! It has me engaged, so I know it will have my students engaged also!

Hi Mr. McLeod! My name is Alison. I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. Your point in this post was to say go ahead and keep kids away from the new technologies. Yours will use them and have an even bigger advantage over theirs. I loved the sarcasm and agree with you on the importance of teaching our kids about technology. Technology is an avenue for kids to create, learn, and share. It would be harmful to keep them completely away from it. I think it is a good idea for parents to monitor what their children are doing on the internet, though. The internet is a great place for learning when used properly, but it is also a place filled with things that kids do not need to get involved with. I think it would be a good idea for parents to talk to their children about the positives and negatives of the internet, but that means parents have to be technologically literate so that they know what those positives and negatives are. I really enjoyed reading your post! Thanks for sharing!
Alison

Hi Mr. McLeod! I am a EDM310 student at the University of South Alabama. I totally agree with you on this post. I am just learning how to work all of the new technology and although little to none of this is helpful it is a part of our children’s lives. I guess the old saying “If you can’t beat them, join them.” is true. I am amazed that society would put children at risk like this (sexting, sexual predators, etc). I will pray for all of us. I am 22 and I have no kids, but at the rate of technology and the world I am afraid to.

I think that this post is really thought provoking. If you shelter your students from all of these things, what kind of person will they be in future? If they can’t use technology in the future, what can they do? The kids who are exposed to these things will surely have a leg up. You list many negative things that are associated with the web. If you teach your kids about these negative things, and how to avoid them, and how to act when they are in a particular situation, they will be less likely to abuse the privileges of technology. I really enjoyed this post!
Victoria

Hello, my name is Kenesha Brown. I’m a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I find your sarcasm hilarious. I feel that teachers should be acceptable to change. Teachers should be willing to improve themselves as well as their students. I have to say that I feel as if they are afraid of mistakes. Because of the perfection status a teacher portrayed to be, it can be hard to accept the fact that something that they contribute to the classroom is outdated. In addition, I like the fact that you stated that they didn’t have to do because you will. I commend you for making the gesture because our students need educators that are willing to take on the challenge.

Hi, my name is Shannon Watson and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I find this very hilarious. I don’t think that students should be completely shelter from the internet. Using the internet is a whole new way of exploring things and receiving information. I do agree about some of the negative things you listed because the internet can be very dangerous. But I really enjoyed reading this post!

Hello my name is Windy Powell. I am also a student of EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I have to say when I was first reading your post I was thinking to myself this guy has lost his marbles and has gone to some kind of extreme measures to prevent technology from be in his classroom, but those last few statements changed it all. I must say I did sense a little sarcasm, and I loved it. I loved your approach to selling the idea of technology. I think parents, school officials, and politicians get so caught up in the harmful threats of technology that they forget that technology can be a great learning tool. I think the most important thing we can do for our students is to prepare them for the future, and in doing so we must show them the proper way to utilize the resources they have available to them.

Dr. McLeod, I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. When I read your post, I thought it was very interesting. It was what Dr. Randy Pausch would call a “head fake”, because you led us to believe one thing until the very end when you indicated students would need these skills to get ahead in the future. I also read your post from February 14, 2010 where you quoted Don Tapscott, “This is the first time in history when young people may know more than adults about something that’s important.” It is scary because it turns our learning traditions upside down; however, it can also be exciting when you have an open mind. I’m relieved that there are authorities like you who can guide young educators who want to integrate technology in the classroom.

Hi,
I’m Kayla Johnson. I am in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I agree with your blog post completely. We live in a society packed full of technology, and it is not going anywhere. I feel, as educators, it is important to teach our students how to use this technology. By students learning how to use technology in school, it is preparing them for jobs that they will have in the future that don’t even exist yet.

Hello, I’m a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed your blog post. It was full of sarcasm. You made your point in a creative way. Sometimes using sacrams is a way to reach people. We cannot stop students from using technology. Why should we? We need to help and teach them good ways on how to using technology the right way.

Hello Mr. McCleod,
My name is Sam Krhut and I am a student of EDM310 at South Alabama. I love your poem. It’s definitely got a ring to it. You ever thought about putting music to it? It could be a real hit. You know it’ll be hit in the progressive educator crowd. ps- I really like it when I find sarcasm in class assignments. Thank you for that. Have a great day!

My name is Courtney Block I am a junior at the University of South Alabama and I am currently enrolled in EDM 310. I thought your blog post was hilarious. It is full of sarcasm. Adults grew up in the era where pencils and paper were the in thing. It bothers them that their students know how to much more things on technology then they do. That is why some teachers and adults are so adamant on keeping books around. Now don’t get me wrong books are wonderful, but computers and the wonder of the internet kind of has it beat. There is just so much that can be learned and researched on the internet that we cannot find in every library or every book. Not to mention that with the internet students can engage in videos and audio. This will help with all types of learning! I think that maybe we should just get use to the idea that this is the 21st century and we are aging into a new era. One full of technology!

Hi Dr. McCleod! I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I love this post, it is quite humorous! However, I do strongly believe that if some parents read this they would be all for it! It is sad that technology is frowned upon in our society when that is what our children’s futures will be about completely! I feel that technology helps them express themselves in a different way and makes them think creatively. ps: love the sarcasm!

My name is Anna Faggard, and I am a EDM student at the University of South Alabama. I just want to say that I really enjoyed your post. I loved all the sarcasm!I think students should keep up with technology, but be monitored. Thank you for the post, it was great.

Hi Mr. Mcleod, I’m Jessica and I’m a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. Just wanted to say I enjoyed the post. That was a unique way to convince people, or not, to take advantage of technology.

Hi. My name is Maria, and I am a student in Dr Strange’s EDM 310 class as well at the University of South Alabama. I am studying to be an elementary teacher. I love you blog post and the way you wrote it. It will get people’s attention as it has gotten mine and my classmates. I could not agree more that technology needs to be taught and the earlier the better. Thank you for your post.

My name is Kaitlyn, and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I thought your post was funny to read with all of the sarcasm, and I completely agree with you! Parents, teachers, and administrators need to realize that the use of technology in education is a good thing. Sure, there are bad people out there online, but that just means we need to teach our students how to evaluate material and ignore the bad. I think it is better to teach students to use technology properly than to see them try to figure it all out for themselves and get caught up in the bad side of it.

My name Daniel Morgan and I am a student is Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. I enjoyed your blog post and I agree that the way we teach students today needs to change. We have to being incorporating technology into the classroom. We also need to teach them from a young age of the dangers of the Internet as well. Thank you again for the wonderfully humorous blog post. I’m also on twitter @danielm2186.

Dr. McLeod,
I truly love your post. It is dead on about how foolish people can be about the ever changing technology world. I love that no matter what other people are doing or not going to do, you are going to do what you know in your heart is right. Technology is a great tool for students to use in the classroom and I believe as a teacher we should not only teach the students about technology but also the parents.

Dr. McLeod,
I really enjoyed reading this post. I found the approach to this poem very interesting. Parents, schools, and teachers need to realize what hinderance they are being whenever they do not allow students to explore the new types of communication and technology in this day and time.

My name is Elizabeth Mims and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I enjoyed reading your blog post and I agree with what you say about technology needing to be integrated into classrooms. Students deserve to be taught in a 21st century classroom. We cannot protect them from all the bad in the world, but we can educate them on how to properly use the internet and monitor their usage. Thank you for the great post!

My name is Stephanie Tisdale. I am a student in EDM310 at The University of South Alabama. I enjoyed reading your post! I agree that technology should be included in the classroom. Students can learn so much from technology, which will be beneficial for them in the future.

Hello, Dr. McLeod
I just wanted to say that your blogs are very inspiring for me. You say things that most teachers either keep to themselves are talk silently amongst each other. I just really want to take the time out to thank you for sharing your thoughts with the rest of the world.

I’m a student in EDM 310 at South Alabama and I just wanted to say you spoke the truth in this post. It was good to hear a educator speak the truth and I just want to say thanks and look forward to reading more of you’r material.

My name is Claire Langham, and I am a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your post, and it’s so true and somewhat scary to think about how many people have completely shut technology out in years past. I’ll never forget the “no cell phone, no laptop” rule at my high school. We, as students, were so scared of getting caught with this “bad” technology that we began questioning why it wasn’t allowed in the first place.

Dr. Strange’s class has truly opened my eyes to how vital technology is in the classroom. Your post was also a huge eye-opener to some of the reasons why people don’t support technology and its benefits in the classroom. As a future teacher myself, I cannot wait to show my students how important, fun, and educational technology can be.

Hello Mr. McLeod,
My name is Alecia Baxter and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class and majoring in Elementary Education. I just wanted to say how humorous your blog post was. I agree completely that teachers nowadays are afraid of technology because they do not know how to handle it. They are use to just using pen/pencil to write everything and do not want their students to use technology because they think that the students will use it in the wrong way. I want my students to be able to interact with the way technology is improving around them. Thanks for sharing this post!
Take care,
Alecia Baxter
EDM 310
University of South Alabama

I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I think you did a great job addressing this issue. Technology is used EVERYWHERE…but in the classroom. So, where are kids going to learn to use technology? It is essential that educators start using technology.

Dr. McLeod,
I am a student in Dr. Strange’s edm310 class at The University of South Alabama. I loved your post. The sad truth is so many parents and teacher actually fear technology because of bullying and porn. Cheating, bullying, porn, all of this stuff has been around way before technology came along, and will continue to exist with or without it. The children that are not learning to use technology will be left behind,and they will still have to deal with bully’s and predators.

I’m Sara Kinney, and I’m a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. Your post was very eyeopening. It’s crazy how many people refuse to use technology. I believe the main reason they refuse technology is because they haven’t taken the time to learn how to use it.

Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class has taught me so much about technology that I never knew was possible. If people would just open their minds to explore the “unknown” then they could end up benefitting tremendously.

I really enjoyed your use of sarcasm in this post. It really helped to get your point across. Students need to be able to use the internet, and they need to be taught how to do so properly. Their usage can be monitored, and if there are certain sites that the teacher does not want their students to visit while they are online, those sites can be blocked. Overall, this was a great post!

My name is Stacy Smith and I am an EDM310 student at the University of South Alabama. I guess I could be one of the people that many of the comments above were referring to. I graduated high school over 20 years ago when computers existed but were not easily accessible. I don’t know what most college students know about technology. I was not computer literate when I started this class. I still don’t know if you’d say that I am now. I have come to realize the importance of technology in the classroom. I do believe technology can be a GREAT way for creating, sharing, thinking, and learning. BUT, I also believe that cheating, sexting, cyberbullying, porn, and predators are also very real and easily accessible in today’s world. If a teacher chooses to use technology in the classroom, they need to understand this and make sure that there are some really huge safe guards in place to keep technology from being used for these purposes. I believe that educators who choose to use technology in the classroom have to be responsible for what students are doing with the technology they are providing students with. If educators understand these threats and can control what students have access to, then I am 100% in support of technology being used in the classroom. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and I hope that my thoughts will make some future teachers think about their obligation as well.

Mr. McLeod,
I found this post to be quite humorous because I know this is the same exact thought process that many of my teachers had throughout grade school! All of the things like sexting and looking at porn are things that teachers are worried about if they allow their students to have access to technology. Although some students may participate in this, you cannot hold back students who want to excel and learn by looking at the small portion of kids that do not do what they are supposed to. In life, there are always those few people that do not want to follow the rules and want to do whatever they want. Providing more resources always has consequences, but if we do not provide them we are just hurting our education system. Thanks for posting!
Amanda Patton
University of South Alabama
EDM310

My name is Jamie Ham and I am an EDM310 student at the University of South Alabama. I really love the sarcasm in your post. I think your question at the end of your post sums it all up for me. “can’t wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two can you? Educators and parents must get on board with technology in the classroom. Success of our generation depends on it!

I was assigned by Dr. Strange to read this blog post and was thoroughly entertained. I’m sure, as you know, we student’s in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class have learned to embrace technology. I am definitely going to use technology within my classroom and once and for all eliminate “burp-back” education.

Hi! I’m Brittany Leavitt, and I too am a student of Dr. Strange’s in EDM310. I loved this post! On my blog, I spoke about having an overprotective mother who wouldn’t let me use the internet because of all of the reasons you listed above. I hated it; I always felt so behind because I wasn’t able to use the technology that everyone else had access to at home. Love this blog and your perspective! Thanks for sharing!

Hello Mr. Mcleod,
My name is Amy Archer. I am currently a Junior at The University of South Alabama, and I am in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. I loved reading your post! Your sarcastic humor really caught my attention and gave me a good laugh for the week. It is sad that our society tries to prevent students from learning and connecting online.
I know that parents and administrators will argue that the social networking leads to cyber-bullying and the viewing porn, but how can we expect our students/children to become young adults if we do not allow them to live life to the fullest? I agree with you 100% because if we shelter them and prevent them from exploring they will never able to experience or learn for themselves. Bullying will go on at any point in life, whether it is in the classroom, through a text message, or a social network. Also, the people who look at porn will find a way to look at it if that is what they are looking for, no matter the limitations.
My point is that people are always going to make mistakes or experience trials in life. We can’t expect our students and children to know how to handle situations if we do not give them the chance to live. It is our job as teachers, parents, or administrators to guide them through their journey and stop them when they go down the wrong path.
Thanks for your post!
Amy Archer

My name is Will Smith and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. My first reaction to this post is to laugh. This really is a funny piece because I know SEVERAL education administrators who belive exactly what your post says. While I am obviously at a disagreement with them I also understand how it may be difficult for them to move on to a more contemporary education approach. This post puts all of these modern tools we have into perspective as to how they will be used in the years to come. Great Post as usual, Love Your Blog!

Hi, My name is Keely Smith and I am in EDM310 at The University of South Alabama. I enjoyed reading your post and I completely agree that using technology allows students to create,share,think and most importantly learn. The internet has it’s pros and cons but the cons shouldn’t hinder us from using it for educational purposes. I love how some teachers are embracing technology and moving our future leaders forward. Hopefully the ones of us who were held back will catch up!

Dr. McLeod,
My name is Heather and I am a student in EDM 310. This poem made me laugh so much. Your sarcasm is great. I agree with the point that you make here about students who are given the gift of technology in classes will eventually have the upperhand in life. The world has progressed so far past pencil and paper that it seems sort of prehistoric.
Why then, would education, which is supposed to prepare us for the future, be stuck in this time warp? GREAT post. I look forward to reading more of your blog.
-Heather P.

I am a student at the University of South Alabama studying Elementary education. I really enjoyed this blog post. When I was reading it my thought was “What? Why is he saying this?”. I personally believe technology is an asset to learning. So, I really enjoyed the end when you stated that you didn’t want others to teach these things because you are and expect it to give your students a leg up. Very well written and humorous. Thank you for sharing.

My name is Nadis Chambers and I’m a student at the University of South Alabama. I’m currently in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class. I really enjoyed your blog. It was humorous and yet factual. Many people are scared to introduce their kids to the use of technology because of misconceptions. However, the brave ones, in the end,will see a great outcome. Great post!!!

I cannot agree with this post. In my mind the purpose of education is to educate students on various subjects that they could not or would not learn on their own! Most if not all the items in your poem could be discovered by playing around on the internet.